1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a staging component mounting system structured to facilitate the safe and adjustable mounting of various articles, such as speakers, lighting components, audio components and the like at a particular site. The system is structured to provide strong and secure mounting in a highly adaptable, adjustable, and cost-effective, manner that is also substantially collapsible, thereby permitting facilitated transport and storage of the staging component mounting system upon a change of venue or when full staging is not required.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of performance venues, such as theaters, arenas, concert halls and the like, as well as many other types of localities such as dance clubs and convention centers, often require the precise arrangement of lighting, speakers and other types of components. Typically, these various components are mounted to the ceiling in a variety of configurations in order to enhance the staging at the particular venue. Due, however, to the large volume of components and the often complex nature of their arrangement, in most circumstances, large hanging truss-type assemblies are pre-formed and mounted to the ceiling of the venue in a substantially permanent fashion. Accordingly, each subsequent show or performance at the venue will utilize the existing trusses for the mounting of its various components. Also, when the venue is not in use, or is in use for another purpose that does not require the assemblies, or when full staging is not required at a particular venue, the mount assemblies are generally lowered and stored at the venue, if storage space is available. Alternatively, however, some performances have very specialized set ups and/or utilize venues that do not have pre-installed mount assemblies, and as such, the large mount assemblies are owned or rented by the staging company putting on the performance such that they are merely taken down and shipped from one site to another when the particular show travels from venue to venue.
Of course, conventionally implemented mount assemblies have traditionally been designed to maximize strength, but to minimize weight. The reason for the maximization of strength relates to the heavy weight and large number of articles generally supported by the mount assembly. The desire to make the assembly light-weight, however, relates to the fact these mount assemblies must generally be transported as a solid assembly. Specifically, conventional mount assemblies are formed of aluminum tubing which has been welded together to define a preformed shape. As such, the large three dimensional shape of the formed mount assembly must be maintained during transport and storage. Naturally, this large and bulky configuration substantially increases the storage space required to contain the mount assemblies, as well as the amount of difficulties associated with transporting such a large, bulky, heavy item. Furthermore, it is noted that typically a plurality of the mount assemblies are included and must be stored and/or transported together.
As such, it would be highly beneficial to provide a staging component mounting system which is capable of supporting a large number of heavy components in an effective and adaptable manner, but which is also structured to be substantially easy to transport and store in a compact and manipulable manner. Such a system, however, should not compromise the requirements of strength and safety.
Additionally, it is often seen that in various staging situations a variety of articles, such as speakers and/or tweeters are suspended from ceiling mounted staging systems. Such systems, however, generally suspend the articles from preexisting hooks or mount points on the articles in a downward facing or side facing posture. Such mounting, however, does not take into account true positioning requirements of such components for normal or specialized uses, a particularly important consideration with audio tweeters and/or visual effects when an artistic and/or elaborate display and/or effects situation is to be generated. Indeed, most mounting systems do not provide for any adaptability or adjustability, but rather provide a single mounting position for all articles regardless of the particular nature of that article. Accordingly, it would also be highly beneficial to provide a staging component mounting system which is further configured to safely and securely mount various articles, but which is also adaptable to effectively mount those articles in an adjustable manner that appropriately orients a working face of the article in a variety of desired angles and orientations and a variety of directional postures in order to fully enhance the effect(s) sought to be generated.